Attachment for rivet-driving machines



Jan. 7, 925. 1,524,414

E. B. STIMPSON ATTACHMENT FOR RIVET DRIVING MACHINES Filed Nov. 26, 1921 3 She sheet l gum Wot" E. B. STIMPSON ATTACHMENT FOR RIVET DRIVING MACHINES Filed Nov. 26, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Swuentoz Jan. 7, 925- 1,524,414

E. B. STIMPSON ATTACHMENT FOR RIVET DRIVING-MACHINES Filed Nov. 26, 1921 3 S IieetsSheet s amfiw I Jag/M Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN B. STIMPSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EDWIN B. STIIVIPSON COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ATTACHMENT FOR RIVET-DRIVING MACHINES.

Application filed November 26, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. STIMrsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Rivet-Driving Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for rivet-driving machines in which the shanks of, the rivets are slit lengthwise to form bifurcations. It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby the slit rivets may be fed beneath the driving plunger of the machine so that the jaws or bifurcations of all of the rivets will be similarly positioned, i. e., all of the slit-s will occupy substantially the same plane, when in position to be driven by the plunger. Such an arrangement not only adds to the finished appearance of the article due to the symmetrical arrangement of the rivet jaws, but is in many cases absolutely necessary by the shape of the finished article. The present invention provides simple, effective means for accomplishing this object.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a rivet-driving machine with the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the invention applied to th machine and showing the driving plunger in lowered position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the driving plunger in elevated position;

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to F iggures 3 and 4, respectively, but showing a modified form of the invention;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the operating member in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive;

Figure 8 is a front and a side elevation of th tip of the operating member shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a plan view, partly sectioned, of the modified form .of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Serial No. 517,919.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a rivet-driving machine of the usual type comprising a vertically-reciprocating plunger 10 operating between guides 11 to drive rivets such as 12 downwardly through an article 13 supported upon an anvil 14 in axial alignment with said plunger 10. On the downward stroke of the plunger a rivet is driven through article 13 and the jaws of the rivet are spread upon the opposite face of the article. The rivets are fed to the driving position beneath plunger 10 and be tween guides 11 in the usual manner by allowing the rivets to pass down an inclined guide-way 20, upon which they are supported by their heads, until they rest above a horizontal slot 21 in which operates a slide 22. Said slide has a. vertical opening 23 therein large enough to receive the lowermost rivet in guide-way 20, and said slide is so connected with the plunger that every time the latter operates to drive a rivet into an article the slide is moved over until the rivet held therein is directly over an inclined slot 24 which terminates adjacent the plunger when the latter is in lowered position (see Fig. When the plunger is elevated it rises above the lower end of slot 24 and permits the rivet held in the end of the slot to drop between guides 11 into the driving position. As the plunger descends, another rivet is fed by slide 21 into slot 24, said rivet moving to the lower end of slot 24 and abutting against the plunger. The action is then repeated. The hereinbefore described structure is usual in rivet-driving machines.

It is desirable, as previously pointed out, that the rivets be fed to the driving position with their jaws similarly positioned, i. e., with the slits in substantially the same plane. For this purpose there is provided a device which operates to position the rivets properly as each rivet reaches the bottom of slot 24 adjacent the lowered plunger in position to drop to driving position when the plunger is raised. Each rivet is similarly positioned by this device so that when it drops to driving position the plane of the slits will be in substantially the same position in' every case. The device comprises an operating member in the form of a lever 30 pivoted at 31 to a bracket 32 fixed to the frame of a .By repeatedly opera-ting portion 35 back and forth into and out of contact with the slit end of the rivet-shank, the tip, which is necessarily a wedge and twisted slightly to form a screw or spiral, works its way into the rivet slit, and the flatportion 35 exerts a cannning action on the rivet until the plane of'the slit-coincides with theplane of the portion 35. The portion 35 may then operi ate inand out of the slit freely. The same time plunger 10 rises above the'end of slot- "several timesand the rivet-slit has been 24:, lever-"3O has been actuated backand-forth brought into'the plane'of portion 35 by the camming action of saidportion. Each rivet is therefore similarly disposed as it drops to driving position beneath the plunger.

To operate lever intern'1ittently, there is provided a rod lOhaving engagement at one end;Withplunger l0 and attheother end witlr anarm' ll carried by lever' 30. As the 30;

plunger 10 rises, a-series of corrugations formed "thereon comes 'into'contact wlth rod against the end of the rivet at thelower end :ofslot 24. T-he tip36 of por'tion is so ;positioned that it will enter the slit in the i'rivetsshank when lever-30' is actuated. The

repeated, intermittent blows cause the screw 7 or spiral tip 36 and por-tion35 to work their -1wa-y'up:-into the rivet-slit,-sa1d' tip turning :the rivet so that the plane of"- the slit is in the-plan of portion-'35 before the plunger 10. has reached its uppermost position. The rivet. is held against upward movementby its ainclined temporaryset aga'inst plunger 10. "To absorb the blows which would be occasioned if tip 36 should strike the solid por- I tion of the rivet-shank, the arm 41 is prefer-' ably of spring metal to absorb such shocks.

.Lever 30 may be held normally-away from the rivet by a suitable spring, such as a coilspring 3O onpivot 31 in the usual manner. @Rod is normally pressed inwardly by a spring 15 in a housing 46 formed preferably in the zIIlELClllIlG frame. If desired, the'corru- ,gations 43 .may increase in diameter from top to. bottom on the plunger as shown) so that after'the tip 36 and portion 35 have 'made'an entry into the rivet-slit, the throw vof said portion may be increased.

' 'AJmOdificatiOn of the invention is illustrated in Figures. 5, Band 9. A 'flat portion a50ssimi-lar tosflat portion 35 a nd having a point or tip 51 similar to tip 36 is fixed near one end of a spring member 52 whose other end is attached to the machine frame. The plunger 10 is provided with a pin 55, which, when the plunger rises, engages one arm 56 of a lever pivoted at 57 on the machine frame. The end of the other arm 58 of said lever engages a corrugated portion 59 formed in spring member 52, so that as the plunger rises, aI'm58 willrotate downwardly from a substantially horizontal position thus causing itsendto move inwardly toward the machine and permitting portion 50 to move further into the rivet slit. As the end of arm. 58 moves over the corrugations, the

V portion'5O will be alternately pressed away action is exerted. upon each rivet as'it comes -to'positionrat theend of slot'24. By the ineffective. (or 5) position.

Variations may be resorted to'within the scope of the annexed claims.

The structural.featurespeculiar to the embodiment of F igs; 5 and- 6 hereof are not herein claimed, butare' fully-disclosed and claimed in my co-pendin application Serial No. 632,715 "filed A )riI f7, 1923, and forming a division of t is specification.

Claims:

1. The combination in a rivet-driving machine for rivets, each of which has a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, said machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent' the driving position, said means including a supply hopper, and guiding means for transferring the rivets in column from said hopper to said point but with the slits of the rivets non-aligned, of means for-automaticallyacting ona rivet in the guiding means near the driving position, said means being operated by the driving means for aligning the slits of the successive rivets as each rivet is being initially advanced toward the said point, said positioning means including a movable lnember adaptedcorrectly to align the rivet by engagement with said bifurcations.

2. In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said forthstrokes relative'to each rivet as the same approaches driving position.

iii

llll) 3. In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon the machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving position so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a flat member adapted to enter the slits in the rivets and means for giving said member an intermittent motion to cause said member to enter the slits in the rivets.

4. In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon the machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving position so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a flat member adapted to enter the slits in the rivets and provided with a wedge-shaped tip to facilitate entry thereof into said slits, and means for giving said member an intermittent motion to cause said member to enter the slits in the rivets.

In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a. slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon said machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving posi tion so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a pivoted lever, said lever having aflat portion at one end, and means for giving said lever an intermittent motion to cause said flat portion to enter the slits in the rivets to position the same.

6. In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets, to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon said machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving position so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a pivoted lever, said lever having a flat portion at one end, a rod movably mounted on said machine and engaging the other end of said lever, and means for intermittently operating said rod to give said lever an intermittent movement relative to the slits to bring the slits into the plane of said flat portion.

7. In a rivet-driving machine, said machine having a reciprocating plunger and means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, said position being directly beneath said plunger, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon said machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving position so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a pivoted lever, said lever having a flat portion at one end, a rod movably mounted on said machine and engaging the other end of said lever, said plunger having corrugations on its exterior which engages said rod to op erate said rod intermittently when said plunger is actuated, said rod giving an insaid means including a pivoted lever, said lever having a flat portion at one end, a rod movably mounted on said machine and engaging the other end of said lever, said plunger having corrugations on its exterior which engage said rod to operate said rod intermittently when said plunger is actuated, said rod giving said lever an intermittent motion to cause said flat portion to en ter the slits in the rivets to position the same, aspring normally pressing said rod into engagement with said corrugations, and a spring normally holding said flat portion out of engagement with the slits in the rivets.

9. In a rivet-driving machine having means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurcations, means mounted upon the machine for positioning said rivets when adjacent the driving position so that the slits and the bifurcations of the rivets are similarly disposed, said means including a fiat member and means for operating said member intermittently to cause said flat portion to enter the slits in the rivets to position the same, said flat member having a tip which is wedge-shaped and slightly twisted to form a spiral to facilitate entry thereof in said slits.

10. In a rivet-driving machine, the combination with means for feeding the rivets to a point adjacent the driving position, each of said rivets having a slit lengthwise through the shank thereof to form bifurlit) - ija c'nt' the dfiviligfiositili so that the slits "a idthe bifurat ions 6f the rivets are similhrnber aiid ma'ns for 'ijperating sa'id member lnt'ernnttently to cause sald flat portlon f0 htert-he slits in the rivets to position t1ie s aihe aid flat member having a Surface tainted relative to the plane of its flat. 10

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWIN B. STIMPSON. 

